Obituary: HORTON, PRISCILLA

Priscilla Bonner Horton passed away December 26th, 2010. Born August 5th 1914 in Kingston, Ontario to Walter D. and Grace G. Bonner, Priscilla moved with her family to Salt Lake City at the age of two. She is predeceased by her husband of 55 years, Walter James Horton, by her parents and by her brothers James, Lyman, David, Robert and Walter. She is survived by her brother Francis, her children Sylvia, Paul, Christine, and Danny, their partners Frank, Pat and Rita, by beloved granddaughters Al, Elizabeth and Rachael with her partner Chris, and by numerous nephews and nieces. Priscilla was born into a household imbued with science - her father held a PhD in Chemistry and was Head of the Chemistry Department at the University of Utah for many years, her mother earned a BSc in Chemistry in an era when that was a rarity, and all seven of their children obtained advanced degrees in scientific fields. Music, literature and fine arts were also important to their lives and Priscilla retained a life-long love of the arts. After high school at Westminster in Salt Lake City, Priscilla attended the University of Utah and obtained a Bachelors degree with honors in Chemistry in 1934, then a Masters degree in Biochemistry from the University of Illinois in 1938. On December 30th 1939 she married Walter James Horton, who had recently graduated from the University of Michigan with a PhD in Organic Chemistry. After the couple spent the war years in New Orleans, Jim joined the University of Utah faculty and they settled in Salt Lake and began raising their family. Beyond Priscilla's intellectual interests, her life was spent close to nature with hikes and camping trips and caring for the garden and animals on the family's "acre and a third" at the mouth of Millcreek Canyon and later at their home on Second Avenue. She was fascinated by other cultures and was an audacious world traveler, even at an elderly age. The two sabbatical years spent in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and three years in Ibadan and Ife, Nigeria were treasured as the great adventures of her life. Priscilla was notably open-minded, she was a gentle soul and a caring listener and she became a second mother to many. The family wishes to thank the staff of Brighton Gardens (now Emeritus) for their professional care and many kindnesses to Priscilla over the past few years. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to the Walter D. & Grace G. Bonner Memorial Award, Chair - University of Utah Chemistry Department, 315 South 1400 East, SLC UT 84112-0850. An open house in celebration of Priscilla's life will be held at her home, 1068 Second Avenue, starting at 2:00 p.m. on February 5th 2011.